A professional wrestler in Mexico was arrested and faces criminal charges after allegedly performing a piledriver on a 75-year-old referee, who later died.

“A 75-year-old wrestling referee in Mexico is dead after a wrestler hit him with a piledriver in the middle of a match. Gerardo Germán Pineda, known as ‘El Búho,’ had been refereeing for nearly 30 years,” Mario Nawfal wrote.

“After the move, he lay there for minutes while people thought he was just playing along, and there wasn’t a single medic or ambulance at the show, even though local rules require one. The wrestler, 36-year-old Hijo de Fishman, was arrested on the spot and could be facing manslaughter charges and up to 15 years behind bars,” he added.

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More from the New York Post:

Video from earlier in the match circulating online shows Fishman performing a bodyslam on Pineda, though the move appeared to be performed safely, and Pineda was moving afterward. A photo of the alleged piledriver is also circulating, though its authenticity is unclear. Video of the piledriver hasn’t surfaced.

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A piledriver involves lifting a wrestler vertically and giving the illusion of dropping them on their head. The wrestler performing the move is supposed to have their own body take the contact to perform it safely, with the opposing wrestler’s head never actually hitting the mat.

But several wrestlers over the years, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, have suffered real injuries on piledrivers, and the move was banned in WWE for many years.

“The local reports are that Buho lay on the mat unmoving for minutes before anyone checked on him, thinking he was selling. There was reportedly no ambulance or medical personnel on hand; those are required for Hidalgo shows, and this card was running a bit under the radar,” Luchablog wrote on X.

“When paramedics arrived, they could only confirm that Buho had passed away. The police are holding Hijo de Fishman in custody while investigating. A photo of the piledriver is circulating. Can’t circulate a photo of a medic who isn’t there, but that’s going to be as big a deal.”

“Our company is attentive to the development of the situation and has arranged accompaniment and legal assistance for Hijo de Fishman, so that the corresponding process is carried out in accordance with the law and before the competent authorities,” El Patrón Espectáculos Lucha Libre stated, according to the outlet.

TMZ noted:

Steph Heredia, an onlooker quoted in The Daily Star, claimed the wrestler argued with the official before executing the move. She says she and other members of the crowd thought the piledriver was just part of the show.

 

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